Promoting Speech and Language Development in Your Child
by Hannah Mendes, MS CCC-SLP
Movement Discoveries
My sister s first child turned two just as I entered my graduate program in Speech Pathology and Audiology. Little did she know that my nephew, and her two daughters that followed, would become my subjects for school projects and observations. I would study their every word, every sound and interaction. My sister, her husband, and I (well,
mostly I) have made sure that their children receive as much speech and language stimulation as possible to ensure that their skills grew. Their children are now 10, 7 and 1; my sister insists that I must have provided too much stimulation to the older children as evident by the fact that she never has a silent moment in her house. Ahhhh, mission accomplished.
As a school speech pathologist, I have spent a great amount of time with toddlers. While the children had a variety of speech and language needs, the questions from their parents were often the same. Parents were unsure of what normal speech and language development is and how one would know if those skills were delayed. And they all wanted information on how to increase speech and language skills in their child.
While there are no hard and fast rules as to when these skills are acquired, here is some basic information, guidelines and practical ideas about typical speech and language and how they develop.
What is speech and language?
Language is a type of symbolic communication system that is rule governed. There are several different forms of language including written, verbal and non-verbal. Language can be separated in to 2 areas: receptive (understanding language) and expressive (using language). Speech is simply verbal communication. It can be broken down in to 3 areas: articulation (speech sound production), voice (movement of vocal folds and use of breath), and fluency (pattern or rhythm of speech).
What is normal speech and language development?
Defining typical speech and language is difficult because it is not an exact science. While many children say their first words at 12 months of age, some start at 10 months; and others 20 months. While there is a range for typical development, below is a list of speech and language skills you should see in your child between 1 and 4 years of age:
1-2 years: Understands simple commands (e.g. come, sit down, get your book), understands where questions by going to a location, uses single words to request and label, uses consonantvowel and consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel words (e.g. bye, hi, mama, dadi).
2-3 years: Understands 2-step directions (e.g. get your book and put it away), begins to understand some opposites (e.g. up/down, open/close), increases vocabulary, begins to put 2 word phrases together and ask questions (e.g. go bye-bye , more juice? ), doesn t say all words correctly but is understood by family 50-75% of the time.
3-4 years: Understands who, what, and where questions, begins to use 4+ word sentences (e.g. I want go park ), doesn t say all words correctly but is understood by family 75-100% of the time.
What can I do to help my child learn to talk?
To help your child understand language:
- Kneel down when talking to him or her; this helps your child focus on you
- In order to help associate words with objects and actions, make sure your child is looking at what you are talking about
- Use language that is similar to how your child talks; if your child uses 1-2 word phrases you should use 3-4 word sentences when speaking
- Use animated facial expressions when talking to help your child focus
To increase use of language:
- Name objects and actions that you see to help your child s vocabulary grow
- To increase the amount of language your child hears describe what you are doing throughout the day
- Use calm and relaxed speech so that your child doesn t feel rushed when it s his turn to talk
- If your child uses 1-2 word phrases re-say the phrase adding 1 or 2 more words so your child hears a slightly more complex way to say what he just said
To improve speech clarity:
- If your child mispronounces a word re-say the word slowly and emphasize the sound(s) that were said incorrectly
- Practice saying nonsense words that include a variety of sound combinations
When listening to your child talk, just remember that it s ok if your child talks like a child. And if you have any concerns with your child s speech and language development talk to your pediatrician or contact a licensed speech and language pathologist.
Hannah Mendes - Speech and Language Pathologist
Specialized Language Preschool Program
Movement Discoveries Pediatric Therapy Center
The San Francisco
Preschool Directory
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822 Mahler Road, Burlingame, CA 94010
(650) 652-1700 Website
Pediatric Therapy Center
